I am so loving 2017 already! I have set a lot of personal goals and look forward to achieve them. This is the year I fully embrace myself for who I really am and allow myself the gift to be that person. I feel pretty great and confident in my own skin and in my work from last year, I was just being myself and that's what got me the job.

I think this is going to be my favorite, out and about look. I feel like I have to be a Actress Aly and Real Aly, even though they are the same people, they must different. I’m a makeup girl, let’s be honest. But I also had to be constantly fresh faced, natural beauty without any makeup that is always perfectly put together. Makes sense, right? :\ But I was like, I enjoy makeup. I like wearing it and it makes me feel good! I’m not one of those people who wakes up feeling cute. I’m comfortable without makeup— you know I’m all over that Instagram story with my PTR face masks before and afters, but I feel better when I wear makeup and that should be okay! Sometimes I just want a little blush and brows, sometimes a full face, sometimes I want to be completely fresh and radiant and other times I want to be done.

I think I found my 2017 staple look for Real Aly. This is Aly going about her everyday business having fun with friends look. (This is not Audition Aly's makeup look. I will show y'all that later! I'll even go into the dilemma of finding the happy medium when you're trying to be your glam self and natural, it's so hard!) Soft, pretty, shimmery nudes, polished done skin, tons of lashes, sculpted and peachy nude cheek with a pretty nude lip. Any lip will go with it, nude, soft natural pinky red, a bright peach, deep red, bright pink. Here we go!

And keep in mind, these are all things I already owned and have and you likely have very similar shades in your make up bag. I want people to use what they already have instead of feeling pressured to always be going out and having to buy something new. I use maybe 1/8 of the makeup I actually own. Yes, I do have a makeup kit since I’m also a MUA but I use that strictly for clients. Let’s actually use what we have instead of wasting it all? These will be my 2017 essentials! You can mix and match them to create any look. Who’s with me?! HERE WE GO! Now, for real.

SKIN

Foundation - Hourglass Veil and Hourglass Immaculate

Ya’ll know I’m an Hourglass queen. I mixed TWO. Surprise surprise. I love the finish of Veil, soft, natural, skin like. But I wanted a hint of more coverage so mixed equal parts of Immaculate. These two foundations are so gorgeous and different. Immaculate is a very full coverage foundation, but very matte, so the two combined, I got a really nice finish. I decided to try the Immaculate because I went to my favorite Nigel’s… and they had a clearance section. Turned out, the color that I would wear in Immaculate was half off because it was being discontinued. So I said, why not? Best investment everrrrr.

Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer & Makeup Forever HD

I used my ride or die, MAC Studio Finish for coverage. Super pigmented and full coverage. Then, because Nigel’s was having a clearance rack…. I picked up the MUFE HD Concealer in a light porcelain shade being discontinued. I was like, “I love being light, this will totally fit!” (You couldn’t try the samples on because they were final sale…) Well. I put it on in the car and screamed. It was about as white as a sheet of paper… soooo…. I'm using it as a highlighter! I couldn’t stop laughing at myself. I looked like a clown. So, I added this and it looked great once I blended it in, then used what was leftover on my foundation brush to blend it in from the eye to the cheek area. ** I think I have a discountinued model…

Powder

Hourglass Diffused Light Ambient Powder

Ambient Lighting Powder… Can I get an amen. Natural lowlight pearly finish all over my skin for a naturally radiant glow that isn’t sparkly or matte? YES PLEASE.

CHEEKS

MAC Maleficent Sculpting Powder

Hallow out those cheekbones like the most evil queen of them all. I love my cheekbones! If I don’t, my face looks like a basketball. I say this because a kid in middle school once told me “your face looks like a ball.” Kids are cruel. Stop bullying. It’s stayed with me since 8th grade. But look at me now! I’m the chicest basketball faced girl out there. Right? RIGHT?

NARS Madly

Ummm. I forget how much I love this blush. This was one of my first double discount days purchases at Macy’s… maybe even FOLEY’S from back in the day. My friend Lauren was an incredible artist at NARS and she turned me onto this. It’s like, the perfect burnt caramel, pinky cantaloupe shade for the cheeks. It sculpts but has enough pink caramel to it to warm up the cheeks. It's like, a no-blush blush.

Highlighter

Hourglass Incandescent Strobing Powder

Need I say more? Okay. Fine, I will. Just the lightest pop of highlighter at the highest point of the cheek. BING. ;)

EYES

Primer MAC Layin’ Low Paint Pot

Okay. Here is where it got a little complicated. I have a lot of favorites. It’s Sophie’s Choice asking me to choose! I think I need to break it down into a sub category at this point. I try to use a maximum of 2/4 shades…. but this look entailed a few more, and not too much more time. Bear with me. Okay, and this is just a guideline for you to follow. Mix and match the shades as much as you want! You can choose to love it, hate it, or feel indifferent. But I likely am layering a handful of these colors at a single time.

Brow Bone Highlighter

LORAC Matte Pro Linen

Linen, it’s one of the most beautiful soft natural bone whites. I used this as my highlighter base. It’s matte, soft and usually applied it with a MAC 213 or 239. I also will likely dab this on the inner corner of my lid so the shimmery highlighter isn’t too bright.

MAC Nylon

This is probably the holy grail of warm toned brow bone high-lighters. It’s like a clear, nylon fishing string. Don’t ask me how I know that, but it is. And it’s gorgeous. I would usually do a teeny hint of this just above the matte color on the highest point of the brow and on the inner corner of the lid.

LORAC Unzipped - Undercover

Okay. This highlighter I think is so underrated. It’s the perfect mix of a warm and cool tones. It isn’t in your face—bam! highlight, but also is much more than a satin. It’s gorgeous. Again. Brown bone on top of the matte and inner corner.

Crease Colors

Okay. This is where I might get a little out of hand. Yes, we can always use just one, but why use one when we have so many?? You can mix and match, but here are my favorite to use and why…

MAC Wedge

It’s a perfect cool flesh toned crease color. I laid this down first. It creates the perfect dimension for your eye that allows you to layer more colors on top of it to shape it. I also wrap this around my lower lash line.

MAC Saddle

I added this just in the outer corner and on the V of my crease. I layered this also on top of the Wedge I just laid down on my lower lashline.

EYELIDS

LORAC Unzipped Unbelievable and Unreal

So on my lid, I mixed two soft shimmery nudes from the LORAC palette, Unbelievable and Unreal. I lightly dusted it on my lid, making sure not to go over the Nylon I laid on the inner corner.

Then I went in the outer corner again, using the Lorac Unbridled on the outer V of my lid. It’s a beautiful Burgundy that layers gorgeously on top of nudes.

LASHES

Of course, my staple, better than sex mascara. And tons of lashes! I added my trusty RWSP lashes and added tons of long individual clusters to the outer corner on top of the lashes, one by one to desired fullness.

BROWS

Hourglass Arch

Can I get a hallelujah for the Hourglass arch? A MUA used this on me on set one day an I was sold. It has enough color and a wax to lay them down and in place. I usually do just this. If I feel I need a bit more, I add powder shadow.

LIPS

MAC Whirl Lip Pencil

I've been using this for years. It's a perfect cool mauve pink that defines your lips and adds dimension. I went just outside my lip line because I can.

MAC Dahhlinggg x Mariah Carey Lipstick

This shade is almost comparable to one of my favorite mac shade, 15 minutes. It’s a perfect nude with a hint of pink. I am obsessed with it and I can’t get enough of it. This is a new lipstick I found, I can’t throw away the packaging because its’ just so pretty.

So I hope you find this look easy to accomplish. I know it seems complicated but it isn't. Here are a few photos from the makeup look on, all applied somewhat the same. Some of these looks may have a bit more liner, more lashes, more or less lip liner, etc.

**This is just for funsies Real Aly. Audition looks are completely different. Obviously, you always want to style yourself accordingly for your character for an audition. You must take everything into consideration. You should always interact with the makeup artist as well. Their job is to have a vision to bring to life for the screen for your character, and hopefully you can have some input on that so you feel comfortable on set as well.

This look is something that can be achieved in 12 - 15 minutes! The main points are skin, cheeks, brows and lashes. I'll make a few more combinations and do a pilot season audition makeup look that's easy to follow for any actresses out there.